


This Night, Inverted

by Marie_Tomas



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Wears Makeup, Ambiguity, Anal Sex, Attraction, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Bottom Magnus Bane, Clubbing, Communication, Confident Alec Lightwood, Confusion, Drunken Flirting, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Love, M/M, Makeup, Nervous Magnus Bane, POV Magnus Bane, Pandemonium Club (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Plot Twists, Porn with Feelings, Resolved Sexual Tension, Role Reversal, Safe Sane and Consensual, Sex, Shy Magnus Bane, Supportive Isabelle Lightwood, Top Alec Lightwood, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-30 23:06:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12663309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Tomas/pseuds/Marie_Tomas
Summary: One night, shy, nervous, awkward Magnus Bane decides to step out his comfort zone and head to Pandemonium, one of the coolest nightclubs in the city.At Pandemonium, he encounters a tall, dark, handsome (and very confident) stranger who wants to take Magnus home. It's almost as though one of Magnus's hottest fantasies has just come true.





	This Night, Inverted

**Author's Note:**

> A little role-reversal Malec story that I was inspired to write after completing my previous Malec fan-fiction, Hold Me. This kind of ties in with that story, but it really isn't necessary to read Hold Me in order to understand this one.
> 
> The premise of this story might be a little unclear/ambiguous at first, but all will become clear as the story progresses.
> 
> I haven't written smut for a long, long time (seriously, I feel about as nervous and as awkward as Magnus feels throughout this story!) so please forgive me any mistakes.

Magnus Bane waited nervously in the line outside Pandemonium nightclub.

He shivered involuntarily, and he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or out of genuine apprehension. Already, he felt way too casually dressed for a place like this, especially when all the other people around him also waiting to get in seemed to be wearing make-up or revealing clothes or leather trousers. There were also several people with dyed hair and piercings. He knew that his plain jeans and T-shirt and nervous body language probably wouldn't fit in at a place like this.

Magnus folded his arms, more out of a strange desire to shrink away, to hide-or to make himself even more invisible than he already felt-than out of a real attempt to protect himself from the chill in the air.

It had been so long since he'd done anything like this, and he knew that nerves were to be expected. He'd almost been too scared to go through with it, but lately, he'd vowed to be more adventurous, to step out of his comfort zone and try new things, and this visit to Pandemonium was a big part of all of that.

However, the moment he got to the front of the line, a blond bouncer held out an arm to block his way, preventing him from entering the main door to the club.

"Name?" he asked Magnus with a frown, his expression unfriendly, his eyes barely looking up from the clipboard he was holding.

Magnus jumped, feeling kind of taken aback. He hadn't known that there was going to be a 'list'; he hadn't realised that Pandemonium was  _that_ exclusive. Although, when he thought about it, it kind of made sense...tonight, anyway. He was tempted to make a joking, sarcastic comment about clichés and clipboards, but instead he managed to stutter out, "M-Magnus Bane?" his uncertain tone of voice sounding more like a question than a statement. He couldn't help feeling like an idiot.

"Your name's not on the list," the bouncer replied in a flat tone of voice, sounding completely disinterested, although the flexing of his arms, emphasising well-toned muscles, suggested that he would probably  _get_  very interested if Magnus dared to question him.

Magnus was just weighing up his options-he could either give in and walk away or take a chance and attempt to argue with this guy, when suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a tall, dark and handsome stranger in the doorway. Magnus blinked several times, partly out of shock and surprise at how good-looking this guy was, and partly out of a fresh onset of nerves. Although, this time the nerves were for a slightly different reason that he couldn't quite explain, even to himself.

In spite of his nerves, Magnus couldn't help focusing on the beautiful man who was now standing right in front of him. In fact, it was very difficult to focus on anything else. From his smooth, tanned skin to his seemingly casual black T-shirt and jeans, everything about this guy looked perfect; everything about him exuded confidence, authority and comfort in his surroundings. It was as though he'd walked right out of one of Magnus's secret fantasies.

"What seems to be the problem?" the hot guy asked with a frown. His eyes briefly met Magnus's, and Magnus felt a strange jolt run through his body, almost like something electric had passed through him as this man met his gaze, as far-fetched as he knew that it would seem if he said this out loud.

"Mr. Lightwood," the bouncer acknowledged him politely, straightening up as he spoke, although Magnus couldn't help noticing a faint scowl on the bouncer's face, like he wasn't exactly thrilled by this turn of events. Yet Magnus could already tell from the bouncer's body language that this 'Mr. Lightwood' had authority here, that he commanded respect.

The bouncer mumbled something about Magnus's name not being on tonight's guest list, no longer sounding as arrogant or as intimidating as he had sounded just moments ago.

"It's all right," Mr. Lightwood cut him off with a seemingly casual shrug. "I'll be responsible for this one…"

Magnus felt another strange jolt run through his body at the man's words, and he wasn't sure if it was from nerves or excitement. He also couldn't help feeling confused as to why this man was helping him get in, wasn't sure why someone so handsome even  _cared_  about Magnus spending an evening at Pandemonium. He tried not to make his confusion look too obvious in his facial expression.

The bouncer looked like he wanted to protest. He opened his mouth but then quickly closed it when Mr. Lightwood looked at him with a firm expression, apparently deciding that he wasn't brave enough to push it, or most likely, he didn't have the authority to question his decision. Instead, he glared at Magnus as he moved to one side, finally allowing him entry to the club.

Magnus shuffled nervously as he headed inside into the darkness and the mystery, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the floor so as to not have to look the bouncer in the eye as he passed him.

The moment he was safely inside, he mumbled a quick, "Thank you," to the hot guy who had helped him get in, hoping that he could hear him over the sound of the music, feeling genuinely grateful, even though he still wasn't exactly sure what the man's reasons for helping him out were.

He wondered how he should think of this mysterious, gorgeous stranger in his mind, in his private thoughts. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that it was somehow very important to keep some sense of detachment from this guy's true identity, to keep him at a distance and not get onto first-name terms. He wasn't sure if he liked thinking of him as 'Mr. Lightwood' better, or just simply 'Hot Guy'.

"Don't mention it," the guy winked at him, running a hand through jet-black hair, and Magnus couldn't help feeling shy and nervous again, especially when the guy looked him up and down, like he might be checking him out.

Magnus noticed that the guy's jeans were artfully torn in a few places, offering just a teasing glimpse of skin, and his black T-shirt was deceptively casual in its appearance, as it was definitely designer. The short sleeves offered Magnus an amazing view of the guy's muscles.

Magnus felt his heart beating faster, and his mouth felt dry, and he had a strange urge to run away, to save himself from any further embarrassment or awkwardness when faced with someone who was so confident.

As a red-headed waitress walked past the two of them, carrying a tray of drinks, Mr. Lightwood reached out and grabbed two glasses from the tray, the gesture quick and smooth. He offered one of the drinks to Magnus as he took a sip from the other glass, raising an eyebrow, his expression looking kind of seductive. Magnus wondered if this was intentional or not, or if he was just seeing things that weren't actually there, reading too much into the situation.

Magnus held up his hand and politely declined the offer of a drink. Feeling too nervous to hang around for much longer, he mumbled something about heading to the bar. He was sure that he caught a flicker of disappointment on Hot Guy's face, but then he simply shrugged and continued to take sips of his drink, and Magnus told himself that he had only imagined the disappointed expression.

Yet as he walked away, he was pretty sure that he heard a mumbled, "Playing hard to get...I love a challenge…" from behind him.

Magnus hurried in the direction of the bar. He was just debating ordering what looked like a very extravagant cocktail mostly consisting of a pink-looking liquid, but then he decided against it, feeling like a fancy cocktail wouldn't be the right 'fit' just now. Instead, he settled on a plain-and-simple glass of wine. He could only hope that the alcohol would help settle his nerves.

"So, you come here often?"

Magnus was startled out of his thoughts by the words. He turned to his left to see the same tall, dark and handsome stranger who he had just walked away from leaning casually against the bar, within touching distance of Magnus.

Magnus couldn't help noticing that he was drinking the exact same cocktail that he himself had contemplated ordering a few minutes ago, although he couldn't push aside the strange feeling that this guy didn't usually drink bright pink cocktails-something about the scene in front of him seemed a little out of place. But then Magnus reminded himself that thoughts like that weren't important or useful right now.

Magnus was struck all over again by how attractive this man was. Up close, he couldn't help noticing a few extra details about him, like the fact that there were strange tattoos on his arms and on his neck, and Magnus kind of wanted to ask what they were; he wanted to touch them, wanted to run his hands gently over the tattoos, and then over the guy's muscles... He also noticed that the man's eyes were lined with eyeliner, which had been perfectly applied. This use of eye make-up on such a masculine-looking guy had to be one of the hottest things that Magnus had seen in his life, and it took all of his effort to remind himself that he was shy and awkward and probably looked like an idiot, especially with the way he was staring at this guy right now. He felt under-dressed all over again in comparison.

"Do you always use such lame pick-up lines?" Magnus couldn't resist asking him, running a hand over his ear as he spoke, unintentionally batting his eyelashes, as though he was flirting.

The guy looked momentarily taken aback, but then he seemed to find his composure and simply shrugged and smirked as he replied, "If they work, then what's the problem?"

 _I'm hot enough to not_ need _clever pick-up lines_  he might as well have added.

There was definitely something arrogant about this guy, something smug. But then, Magnus thought, was it really so wrong that he knew just how hot he was? Or did his arrogance simply add to his allure?

"Can I buy you a drink?" Hot Guy asked him, looking like he was trying not to laugh.

Magnus wondered if he was trying to tease him by using yet another obvious pick-up line.

"I'm fine, thank you," Magnus responded quickly, sharply, now looking down at the floor, wishing that he didn't have to be such a blushing mess.

He noticed another shrug from Hot Guy as he walked away from Magnus and towards the dance floor as the music seemed to get louder, as though the beat of the music bent and molded to this guy's every whim.

Although, judging by the way he looked over his shoulder as he walked away to aim another smug smirk in Magnus's direction, Magnus had a feeling that he would be back soon.

Magnus couldn't help watching Hot Guy intently as he worked the room. He knew that he probably shouldn't be watching, that he should be doing his own thing or at least concentrating on getting drunk and talking to other people, but he couldn't take his eyes off him.

He noticed that he conversed easily with both staff and customers, greeting people with hugs or professional handshakes.

A beautiful woman with long, black hair who was wearing a short leather skirt and high heels greeted Hot Guy with enthusiasm, grabbing his hand and kissing him on the cheek. The two of them laughed and whispered in each other's ears, as though sharing some sort of private joke, but then the young woman excused herself from the conversation to go dance (if grinding up and down someone's body could really be counted as 'dancing') with some brown-haired guy who was wearing glasses and a band T-shirt, and an expression that suggested that he couldn't believe his luck.

Hot Guy rolled his eyes at the woman's actions and moved into the centre of the dancefloor, joining the red-headed waitress from earlier for a dance. After a few minutes of dancing, the guy looked right over in Magnus's direction. Before Magnus could look away or pretend that he wasn't watching him, the guy smirked and winked at Magnus, and Magnus felt a blush creep to his cheeks. 'Mr. Lightwood' obviously knew very well that Magnus was watching his every move, even from afar.

Suddenly, he was moving back in Magnus's direction again, with what looked like an almost deliberate sway of his hips.

"So," he asked Magnus, looking like he was trying not to laugh again, "you see anything you like?"

Oh, this guy definitely knew that he'd had Magnus's full attention the whole time he'd been on the dancefloor.

Magnus had a strange urge to say something like, "Oh, I see _plenty_ I like," complete with a seductive grin, but he pushed the words down, deciding that he was feeling shy all over again, and simply shrugged as he looked down at the floor.

Instead of walking away from him again, Hot Guy started pacing slowly and deliberately around Magnus, walking seductively in circles. The move was almost predatory, especially when coupled with an arrogant smirk as he looked Magnus up and down, an intense expression in his eyes the whole time.

"What are you thinking about?" Magnus couldn't help asking him, trying to push a few x-rated thoughts of his own away.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Hot Guy replied with a raised eyebrow and a mysterious smirk, which only served to heighten Magnus's curiosity. Suddenly, he was desperate to hear this guy give voice to his secret thoughts.

"Trust me, I do," Magnus managed to get out, breathlessly.

Hot Guy continued his pacing for a little while before he answered.

"Well, I was thinking about taking you home right now and fucking you."

As soon as the words had left his lips, Hot Guy's eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hand, like he was shocked that the words had come from his own mouth, as though he didn't use explicit language like that very often and the words had spilled out of their own accord. The nervous flicker in his eyes now didn't quite match up to his confident words and gestures.

Magnus also let out an involuntary gasp at the words.

"I'm sorry, maybe that was a little too much," Hot Guy spoke quickly, looking apologetic. "I'll just…" he turned away.

He had just taken a few steps away from Magnus when…

"Okay."

Magnus felt his own eyes widen as the words left his lips. He couldn't believe that he was saying yes, couldn't believe that he was actually agreeing to do this. There was something tempting but also terrifying about the thought of letting a hot stranger take him home from a club and fuck him.

As if the movements were happening in slow motion, Hot Guy turned back to look at him.

"What?" he asked with a confused frown. He looked just as surprised as Magnus felt.

"I said, okay, yes," Magnus repeated, sounding a little more firm this time, more certain. "You…you can take me home."

After all, what did he have to lose? He'd come here looking for some kind of adventure, and now he'd found it. Sure, he was shy, and nervous, and nowhere near as well-dressed as everybody else at Pandemonium, but this guy wanted him, he didn't even seem to care about all of Magnus's awkward words and gestures, and Magnus wanted this guy as well.

The two of them stared at each other for several long moments, as though trying to work each other out, trying to calculate what their next move would be. Magnus suddenly felt the strange tingles running up and down his body again, and his heart was pounding against his chest.

Finally, Hot Guy nodded and started to head slowly and deliberately towards the exit.

After pausing to take a few more sips of his drink to build up his courage, Magnus followed him.

* * *

After they exited the club, they walked the streets of Brooklyn in silence, with a strange tension hanging in the air. Hot Guy had looked like he was about to call on some expensive-looking car outside the club to take them home, but Magnus had refused, insisting upon walking instead. He preferred it like this; it gave him time to work up the nerve for what was to come. The two of them kept shooting each other furtive glances all the way to Magnus's Brooklyn Loft, neither of them attempting to start any kind of conversation.

The second they were through Magnus's front door, Hot Guy practically threw himself at Magnus, and with that, the two of them were kissing frantically and passionately, finally acting on the tension that had definitely been there between the two of them at Pandemonium.

Magnus let Hot Guy take control of the kiss, let him wrap his arms tightly around Magnus like he was holding him up, and then he found himself being backed up against the wall. Hot Guy even held Magnus's hands above his head before he continued to kiss Magnus passionately, practically biting his bottom lip before moving to place firm kisses along his jaw, behind his ear, up and down his neck…

Magnus simply gasped and moaned into the kisses, enjoying being dominated like this. His body was loving every second of it, responding to every touch, craving more.

Next minute, Magnus felt himself being lifted up against the wall, Hot Guy's arms feeling strong, firm, protective, and if this wasn't the most erotic thing that had happened to Magnus in months then he didn't know what was. He wrapped his legs firmly around Hot Guy's waist and held on tight as the frantic kisses continued.

Magnus was achingly hard already; everything about this scenario was so arousing, and it had been so long since he'd done anything like this. He would probably have felt embarrassed by how much of an effect this guy was having on him just from fully-clothed kissing, but judging by the obvious bulge showing in Hot Guy's jeans, the feeling was mutual.

Oh yes, there was definitely something sordid about the situation, humping against a wall fully-clothed with a hot stranger who had just picked him up at a club. Magnus felt like he was breaking all the rules of his day to day life, like he was taking a calculated risk, and finally letting go and just acting out his desires.

In almost perfect sync, as though they could somehow read each other's thoughts, the two of them started rutting even harder against each other up against the wall, like they both needed to relieve some of this sexual tension before things could progress to Magnus's bedroom.

As their movements became more hurried, more desperate, less coordinated, Magnus heard his own moans getting louder. He tried to quieten down, get himself back under control, especially when Hot Guy seemed to be taking all of this in his stride, barely even making a sound, but then he practically growled into Magnus's ear, "You...you can be as loud as you want, you know...let me know how much you want me," and at those words, all semblance of control disappeared.

In an embarrassingly short amount of time, Magnus came with a loud cry, and Hot Guy wasn't far behind him.

They remained pressed up against the wall for what could have been seconds or minutes, both of them out of breath and lost in the moment.

"Fuck, that was hot," Hot Guy whispered against Magnus's neck, before his eyes widened a little, like he was shocked all over again that words like that had just left his lips.

"Yes," Magnus agreed, wishing that he could have come up with something a little more eloquent to say and knowing that he probably sounded like an awkward idiot. He even blushed when Hot Guy looked at him with an intense expression.

They looked into each other's eyes, and Magnus was suddenly overcome with a strange desire to laugh, but he quickly switched to a more serious expression.

"Bedroom?" Hot Guy asked him with a raised eyebrow and another smug smirk.

Magnus nodded eagerly. The wall sex had been a great preview, but he was now ready for the main event.

Magnus was just about to unwrap his legs from Hot Guy's waist so he could walk to his bedroom when-

"I'll carry you," Hot Guy insisted, and Magnus felt all tingly with excitement and lust all over again.

Hot Guy walked the two of them confidently towards the bedroom, carrying Magnus as though Magnus's weight was nothing to him, as though he already knew his way around the place, and Magnus's desire for this man only increased.

When he crossed the threshold into the bedroom, he threw Magnus on the bed, the movement effortless. In one swift move he was on top of Magnus, placing kisses to his lips and neck and working Magnus back to hardness with his hand on Magnus's cock over the fabric of his jeans, his hand movements sure and certain.

"That was graceful," Magnus managed to get out between kisses and moans, feeling genuinely impressed at how this guy had just thrown him on the bed without losing his balance.

Hot Guy simply shrugged like it was nothing, like he did this sort of thing all the time.

In a few swift movements, he had removed Magnus's shoes and jeans. As he hurriedly removed Magnus's T-shirt, Magnus couldn't help thinking about how sexy it was to be undressed like this, to let somebody else have this control over him.

The guy then sat up a little and removed his own T-shirt. Magnus took a few wonderful moments to appreciate the tanned torso on display just for him, the toned muscles, the hot abs…and then Hot Guy was removing his jeans, his underwear, every movement practiced, sure, effortless, like he was enjoying being the focus of Magnus's intense gaze, enjoying putting on a show.

"You see anything you like?" he asked Magnus again with a wink and a smirk, as though he didn't already know that Magnus currently couldn't remember a time when he had ever liked anything else half as much.

Magnus wasn't sure how he had got so lucky, to have this beautiful, naked guy in his bed with him. He silently congratulated himself on his idea to visit Pandemonium tonight.

Before he could think about his own good luck any further, Hot Guy was back on top of him, the skin-to-skin contact feeling amazing.

He allowed Magnus a couple minutes to run his hands over his torso, over his back, his arms, his muscles, delighting in the feel of this guy's body, before he grabbed Magnus's hands and held them above Magnus's head on the bed.

Oh yes, this guy definitely had some sort of dominance kink.

He seemed to take pleasure in the sensation of having Magnus pinned underneath him; Magnus could feel his arousal, and his kisses were even more certain, more commanding, than earlier. He moved his lips to Magnus's neck, using both his tongue and his teeth, and Magnus knew that he was definitely going to leave marks on his skin. Not that he was complaining. Instead, he let out gasps and moans of pleasure, encouragement, as those wicked lips moved to his nipples. He no longer felt as inhibited as he'd felt a few hours ago.

In fact, he felt himself letting go completely, as the guy seemed to hit every sensitive spot on his body, getting lost in the haze of arousal…

Suddenly, Hot Guy stopped what he was doing and stared at Magnus with an intense expression on his face, as though only just realizing that he was holding Magnus's hands above his head and leaving possessive marks on his skin.

Magnus stared back at him with a confused frown.

"Uh…this is okay, isn't it?" Hot Guy asked, now sounding a little uncertain.

Magnus nodded and Hot Guy let out a breath that he seemed to have been holding while he waited for a response. He went back to kissing Magnus, the kisses a little gentler now.

"This is perfect, Alexander," Magnus whispered between kisses, trying to offer reassurance and barely even realizing what he'd just said until he felt the gasp against his skin.

Hot Guy stopped what he was doing and quickly looked back up at Magnus again, his eyes wide in apparent shock. Magnus could practically hear his thought process; he could imagine him playing the details of the night back over in his mind, trying to work out if he had told Magnus his name at any point. Magnus blushed, panicking a little and wishing that he hadn't said anything, knowing that he _shouldn't_ have said anything.

He quickly tried to steer the attention away from what he'd just said. "Are you going to fuck me like you promised?" Magnus asked, running a hand almost shyly over his ear but smirking slyly at the same time.

The words and the expression seemed to have the desired effect, because Hot Guy nodded, quickly regaining his composure as he returned to the task in hand.

He reached above Magnus's head towards the nightstand to find the lube, and then he was prepping Magnus, inserting a finger gently and carefully, as though he could tell just by instinct that Magnus hadn't done this in a while.

Still, the prep and the wait to feel this guy's cock inside him felt agonisingly long, and Magnus was practically begging for more by the time Hot Guy entered him.

He couldn't supress a groan of discomfort at first, as he tried to remember how long it had been since he'd last been fucked, and Hot Guy seemed to go slower in response, kissing Magnus at the same time almost tenderly, whispering in his ear, asking if he was okay, the gestures all a lot sweeter and gentler than a little while ago when he'd first thrown Magnus onto the bed.

However, Magnus eventually felt his own body adapting to the feeling, trusting that this guy was going to take good care of him, and he started to relax and enjoy the sensations.

He could tell that 'Mr. Lightwood' (he quickly reminded himself not to use this guy's full name again, not even in his head) was sensing that his body was easing up as he got more comfortable, that he was enjoying it more now, because he started to fuck Magnus harder and faster, holding Magnus tight as he moaned into Magnus's neck, like he was holding the two of them up, supporting them both.

Magnus moaned in appreciation at the faster pace and the increased sensation, asking for more between his moans.

Magnus wrapped his legs tighter around the guy's waist, trying to find a better angle, trying to get him to go deeper, to hit just the right spot.

"You're so hot, so beautiful," Hot Guy whispered in his ear, only increasing Magnus's arousal as he basked in this guy's praise.

When they both came, it was at almost exactly the same time, the two of them crying out in pleasure and swallowing up their cries with frantic kisses, their lips and teeth clashing as they were both too unfocused to put any real skill into it.

Magnus lay back as Hot Guy eased out of him, taking deep breaths along with Magnus, before he cleaned the two of them up-to Magnus's surprise-his movements tender and caring, in spite of the evening's events.

Magnus continued to take deep breaths as he thought about how this must have been one of the hottest and craziest things that he had done in years, in spite of how scary it had been to just let go like that and allow himself to be dominated after so long. He also thought about how amazing it was that he was in bed with the sexiest guy that he had ever met in his life. Said guy was currently stretched out in Magnus's bed with a confident smirk on his face, as though he belonged here.

Magnus wanted to say something about all this, put his thoughts into words, but he suddenly felt exhausted, as though the evening's events and the hot sex had finally caught up with him.

Before he could say or do anything, he felt his eyelids getting heavier, and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Magnus woke up what must have only been a half hour later.

He blinked in confusion a couple of times, still feeling drowsy and confused as he collected his thoughts. He smiled shyly to himself as the events of the evening slowly came back to him.

As though sensing that Alec was also awake, Magnus turned his head to his right to see his boyfriend watching him with what looked like an expression of concern.

"Did I do good tonight?" Alec asked him nervously, in barely more than a whisper.

"Alexander, my darling," Magnus hastily reassured him, "you were _perfect_."

The two of them had been doing this for a while as a part of their relationship-setting time aside for these themed nights when one could request something of the other-whether that be something sexual, erotic, kinky, romantic-taking it in turns to put in a request, and the other could indulge in this request to the best of his ability.

However, when Magnus had first asked Alec if he would be on board with a little roleplay tonight that involved a role reversal on both of their parts, and a little wall sex thrown in for good measure, Magnus had never imagined that Alec would play his role  _so well_ , that the whole thing would have been that hot, that perfect.

Magnus might have called in a few favours with a couple of his contacts at Pandemonium to help things run smoothly (or at the very least to turn a blind eye to what they were doing), but he knew that it was Alec who had truly been the star of the show tonight.

Alec sighed in apparent relief, as though he had been waiting all night to hear Magnus's praise and approval. Then he gave Magnus a radiant smile.

Magnus felt his heart swell a little, knowing that Alec only really saved those smiles for him, when they were cuddled up in bed together, naked and vulnerable.

Magnus couldn't help smiling back at him, hoping that his grin conveyed just how proud he was of Alexander Lightwood tonight, especially when the whole sex and relationship thing in itself was still pretty new to Alec, and he knew that Alec was generally a shy and reserved person, preferring to stay in the background at clubs and events. He understood how difficult it might have been for Alec to get into character tonight, to put himself out there and work the room and come up with tacky pick-up lines. Although, the more Magnus got to know Alec, the more he was starting to think that that side of Alec was definitely there, just under the surface, waiting to come out around the people he truly trusted and loved. Magnus was really hoping for a repeat performance sometime soon.

"Although, I'm a little surprised at a few of the words that left your lips tonight, Alexander," Magnus teased him with mock disapproval, before he smirked and winked at him.

Alec groaned and blushed, suddenly shy and vulnerable again. "Uh...yeah, you probably shouldn't say anything about that next time you're at the Institute..."

Magnus laughed, thinking of all the times that Alec had scolded people at the Institute for using what he considered to be 'bad language', especially Izzy and Jace. If only they'd heard Alec's language tonight...

"I have to say, the make-up was an exquisite touch, Alexander," Magnus smirked at him, trying to change the subject and running a hand tenderly over his Shadowhunter's face as he smiled at him. It felt nice, to be able to call Alec by his full name again, to be able to be tender and affectionate now that their little roleplaying sex game was over; it was also a relief for Magnus, to go back to being his more confident self and flirt a little.

In return for Alec's bravery tonight, Magnus had agreed to attend Pandemonium without his usual 'armour' of make-up, jewellery, elaborate outfits and hair products. He'd thought that it was only fair, that he should step out of  _his_  comfort zone, too. He'd even let Alec borrow some of his clothes, so that _he_ wouldn't be tempted to wear the ripped jeans and designer T-shirt instead.

Alec blushed again, as though only just remembering that he was still wearing eye make-up. "Uh…yeah well, that was Izzy's idea…"

Magnus was just about to jokingly ask what Izzy's secret was when it came to the power of persuasion, because he'd been trying for  _weeks_  to get Alec to let him put make-up on him ( _"Just for one night to try it out, Alexander, please!"_ ), but he'd had no such luck, but then he groaned as a realization hit him.

"Alexander?" he asked with a blush of his own. "Just…how much do your siblings and friends know about what we were doing tonight?" He thought about their role in tonight's events-at the door and on the dancefloor, with Izzy's and Clary's and Simon's and even Jace's 'guest appearances'.

Alec groaned in return. "Enough that I'll probably have to buy them drinks every time we go out for at least the next year," he sighed with another blush. "Izzy thought it might be fun if they all 'helped out'..."

"Well, 'Mr. Lightwood'," Magnus teased him, trying to ease Alec's embarrassment a little, "I'll admit that Jace's role as a bouncer was pretty hilarious. It'll keep me amused for several weeks, at least," Magnus laughed.

"Yeah, well, I don't think Jace will see the funny side," Alec replied, looking like he was trying and failing to suppress his own laughter. "You know how much he hates taking orders from anyone. I don't think he'll be able to look me in the eye for the next several weeks…"

"He'll come around," Magnus shrugged, feeling slightly more concerned about how much Izzy knew about tonight's events, given that she and Alec definitely seemed to be whispering and giggling about it all when they were on the dancefloor together. She'd probably already told Clary everything too, the second Magnus and Alec left Pandemonium. Oh well, Magnus supposed that he was just going to have to get used to the Lightwoods being overly involved in his love life.

"Thank you, Alexander," Magnus whispered after a few minutes of comfortable silence, wanting his boyfriend to know just how grateful he was for tonight. "I'm sorry I slipped up a little towards the end…" he sighed to himself as he remembered how he'd unintentionally 'broken character' when they were having sex, by calling Alec by his full name when he was supposed to be seeing him as a hot, anonymous stranger.

Magnus had put so much effort into getting into character all evening as well, even training his own thoughts to view the situation in a particular way and trying not to question things too much, stopping himself from making any of his typical jokes or using any obvious innuendo so that he could play his role convincingly, but he'd almost ruined the realism completely with one slip up.

"Magnus, it's okay, don't worry about it," Alec reassured him. "I just had to check then, that you were still okay with carrying on…"

Magnus felt a rush of affection all over again at Alec's concern. He trusted Alec completely, more than he had trusted any of his previous partners, and he knew that Alec would always make Magnus's comfort and enjoyment in the bedroom as much of a priority as his own. It was one of the reasons why he loved sharing 'Special Request Nights' with Alec.

"I love you," Magnus told him, his expression sincere. As much as he had enjoyed tonight's events, it was a relief now to be himself, to wake up next to Alec and tell him how much he loved him. He was so happy that Alec had walked into his life, glad that he was in love with his Shadowhunter and that his days of meaningless sex were far behind him.

"I love you, too," Alec replied, the words now falling easily from his lips after their first declaration of love not so long ago.

Magnus was sure that Alec was drifting off to sleep, but then…

"Do you miss it, Magnus? The whole taking-hot-strangers-home thing, I mean?"

Magnus could sense the uncertainty now in Alec's voice, the hint of fear.

Since they'd started having sex, Alec had been kind of curious about Magnus's past sexual encounters, maybe because he was still relatively inexperienced when it came to sex, and Magnus couldn't deny that the idea for tonight had kind of come from sharing late night conversations recently with Alec about a few hot one night stands from his past, but now he was worried that he'd planted some kind of seed of doubt in Alec's mind, that he'd somehow caused Alec to question if Magnus was still thinking about all of that.

"No," Magnus answered him honestly. He could never go back to his 'lothario' days, not now. He liked roleplaying with Alec, but that didn't mean that he wanted Alec to actually _be_ someone else. He loved Alec exactly as he was. He took a few deep breaths, trying to find the right words to explain his feelings to Alec. "I won't deny that it was fun, once, Alexander. But after a while, it felt so...meaningless. I felt so lonely, empty; and then you came along…Alexander, don't ever doubt that I only find nights like these so hot because it's  _you_  I'm sharing them with. I don't want to take anyone but you home from Pandemonium ever again…"

Magnus could see the flicker of emotion on Alec's face before he held out an open hand to Magnus. Magnus took Alec's hand and squeezed it gently, to offer reassurance, to reaffirm that the two of them were in this together.

"You looked beautiful tonight, Magnus," Alec mumbled sleepily as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, starting to fall asleep. It was like he'd sensed just how raw and vulnerable Magnus had felt tonight, without his makeup and his innuendo-filled comments, and now he was reassuring him, too.

Magnus couldn't help the grin that crept to his face. Tonight had been perfect, but Magnus knew that  _this_  was the best part of it, right here, now that they had reverted back to being their true selves, in love, together.


End file.
